Adrift
A cat drifts on a floating log in this real-time interactive ASCII artwork, where characters and symbols draw water and life
Summary
Adrift is an interactive artwork. Move the pointer to stir the water, or tap or click the surface to feed the fish. On touch screens, the first tap shows the controls.
I began with the quiet pleasure of watching water and built a vast digital pond around a black cat drifting on a log. Koi, schools of fish, lily pads, aquatic plants and occasional visitors occupy different depths and appear at different intervals.
I developed it into an interactive artwork by adding responses between movement, food, water and fish, alongside the cat’s moments of rest and play.
The log and the black cat
A slowly drifting log and a black cat are the central figures. The cat sits, rests with its paws tucked into a loaf, or curls up to sleep. It watches nearby koi, reaches a paw into the water, then shakes or licks its wet paw.
Day and night
The water’s color and light change between day, dusk and night. After dark, a small lantern warms the log while moonlight shimmers on the surface. Fireflies appear over the water at night.
Interacting with the water
Moving the pointer sends ripples across the water and prompts nearby fish to react. Tap or click to drop food and draw the fish closer. The log’s drift and rotation create currents and push lily pads aside. When the cat touches the water with its paw, nearby koi in the shallows react.
Life and landscape in Adrift
Koi, small fish, lily pads and aquatic plants occupy different depths. Tiny frogs rest on the leaves, occasionally slipping into the water and returning. Sea turtles, dolphins, sharks and humpback whales pass through from time to time. Below is a closer look at some of the life and landscape in the artwork.
Adrift in liwall
Adrift is included in liwall as a free official artwork. Select it in liwall to use the artwork as a live wallpaper on your Mac.
